Structures incorporating interlocking wall modules

ABSTRACT

A prefabricated dormitory or other rigid wall structure is defined by a plurality of prefabricated components. The prefabricated components include corner alignment posts, in-line connection alignment posts, and T-connection posts. Each of the posts includes two or more alignment grooves to either connect prefabricated wall panels at right angles, for a corner, in-line for the extension of a wall in a co-planar manner, or include three alignment grooves for a T-connection wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to the construction ofprefabricated structures incorporating interlocking walls constructedfrom plate steel which are guided and positioned through the use oftongue and groove guide elements.

[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0004] In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in thepopulation housed by our prison system. Prisons have become overcrowdedwith inmates, with some cells housing more that twice the recommendednumber of inmates. One reason for this overcrowding relates to the highcost associated with the building of prisons which are adequately secureto house prisoners. The lengthy construction time required to constructsecure units also adds cost to unit, thereby also contributing to theovercrowding problem.

[0005] In an effort to reduce construction costs and times,prefabricated prison cells have been developed. These prefabricatedprison cells are modular in design, meaning, each cell comprises anindividual, separate unit with the components of each cell beingmanufactured at a facility distant from the final location of the prisonfacility. Upon arrival at the final location, the individual componentsmay then be assembled, forming an individual cell unit. These individualcell units are then assembled adjacent to one another creating a cellblock. In forming a cell block, the individual cells must be carefullyaligned so as to form a cohesive-looking structure. It is the difficultyencountered in properly aligning the individual cells in creating thecell block toward which this invention is directed.

[0006] Along these lines, the need occasionally arises in lawenforcement to quickly construct temporary structures capable of housingdangerous individuals. These structures are often limited in size andweight due to the fact that they may be constructed within a morepermanent structure or setting. For example, many court houses withinthe United States do not include holding cells or the like, making itdifficult to bring dangerous prisoners to trial, as these prisoners mustbe transported from the local jail to the court house to stand trial.This represents an opportunity in which the dangerous prisoner mayeither escape or harm a guard during the transport process. Solutions tothis problem have included converting a mediation room within thecourthouse or something similar, into a temporary lock-up room. However,this presents a further problem, whereby the mediation room is beingused for a purpose not intended. Further, employees of the court housemay be caught unaware, perhaps due to poor communication, and may notrealize that a mediation room previously reserved for that purpose hasbeen transformed into a temporary holding cell. It is toward theconstruction of panelized prison cells that this invention may also beapplied.

[0007] In addition to limitations encountered in housing prisoners,recent population expansion has increased the need for one-roomclassrooms, especially in rural areas. It is desirous that theseclassrooms be relatively inexpensive and have the capability of beingconstructed quickly and easily when compared to the traditional brickschool houses traditionally employed. Along these lines, the presentinvention may be modified in order to facilitate the construction ofrelatively inexpensive school rooms, both sturdy enough to provideadequate protection to our children, and yet easily constructed so as toavoid substantial construction costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The objects of the invention have been accomplished by providinga prefabricated wall structure defining a plurality of rooms, each roomhaving a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, where someof said walls may be shared between rooms. The wall structure comprisesa plurality of elongate wall panels having top and bottom edges, andside edges. A plurality of support posts have alignment grooves forreceiving said side edges of said panels to join said panels.

[0009] In the preferred embodiment of the invention the post is definedas a post configured for a corner, with alignment grooves definedorthogonally of each other. In this configuration, the post is square incross-section and includes alignment plates attached to adjacent sidesof the post, in a spaced-apart manner so as to form the grooves.

[0010] Also in the preferred embodiment, the prefabricated wallstructure has another post defined as a post configured for in-lineconnection, with alignment grooves defined in a co-planar relation witheach other. In this configuration, the modular wall structure has a postwhich is square in cross-section and includes an alignment plateattached to a side wall of the post, in a spaced-apart manner so as toform said grooves.

[0011] The preferred embodiment also has a further post configuration,where the post is defined as a post configured for a T-connection, withalignment grooves for in-line connection, with alignment grooves definedin a co-planar relation with each other, and with a groove definedorthogonally of said two in-line grooves. The post in this configurationis square in cross-section and includes alignment plates attached toadjacent sides of the post, in a spaced-apart manner so as to form saidorthogonal grooves, and with one of the plates having grooves extendingfrom both sides thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] These and other features of the invention will become moreapparent and the present invention will be better understood uponconsideration of the following description and the accompany drawings,wherein:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double prefabricated dormitoryconstruction in accordance with the disclosed invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a top floor plan view of the prefabricated dormitorydisclosed in FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the support post for an in-lineconnection;

[0016]FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the corner connection post;

[0017]FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the support post for theT-connection;

[0018] FIGS. 4A-4C show top plan views of the support posts of FIGS.3A-3C, respectively;

[0019]FIG. 5 shows a magnified view of an in-line connection inaccordance with the present invention of the two prefabricated dormitoryshown in FIG. 1;

[0020]FIG. 6 shows a magnified view of a tongue and groove cornerconnection in accordance with the present invention of the twoprefabricated dormitories shown in FIG. 1;

[0021]FIG. 7 shows a magnified view of a T-connection in accordance withthe present invention of the two modular prison cells shown in FIG. 1;

[0022]FIGS. 8A and 8B show alternative embodiments for any of the postsshown in FIGS. 3A-3C;

[0023]FIGS. 9A and 9B show alternative embodiments to the posts shown inFIGS. 8A and 8B; and

[0024]FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment to that shown in FIG. 1,where a multi-story unit can be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The embodiments of the invention described herein are notintended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the preciseforms disclosed. Rather, the embodiments selected for description havebeen selected to enable one skilled in the art to practice thisinvention.

[0026] Referring in detail to the drawings and with particular referenceto FIGS. 1 and 2, a prefabricated dormitory has been generally indicatedby numeral 10, and comprises individual dormitories 12 and 14, but anynumber or plurality of individual dormitories could be assembled, giventhe hardware and discussion herein described. As shown in FIG. 1, thetwo dormitories are generally configured and defined by four corner postmembers 16, two T-shaped members 18, and a plurality of in-line postsshown generally at 20. It should be appreciated that each of thecomponents is prefabricated in nature and therefore can be erected atthe work site. With reference still to FIGS. 1 and 2, the dormitoriesalso comprise panel sections 22, and angle sections 24, whichcircumscribe the dormitories structure 10.

[0027] With reference now to FIGS. 3A and 4A, the in-line connection,including in-line connector post 20, will be described in greaterdetail. The in-line post 20 is comprised of a generally square tube orpost section 28, which is generally comprised of a structural steelmaterial, which is formed in an elongate manner. An alignment grooveassembly 30 is fixed to an outside of one of the walls of the tube 28 ina manner such as by welding. The alignment groove includes an outeralignment plate 32, which is mounted in a parallel manner to wall 34 oftube 28 and spaced apart by a spacer plate 36. It should be appreciatedfrom viewing FIG. 4A that spacer plate 36 is defined with a muchnarrower width than alignment plate 32, leaving elongate alignmentgrooves 38 on opposite sides of the post for alignment of the steelpanels 22, as will be described further herein. As shown best in FIG.3A, plate 32 is shorter at the lower end than post 28, thereby formingan edge 40.

[0028] With reference now to FIGS. 3B and 4B, corner post 16 is shownhaving a substantially square post 44 having perpendicular side walls 46and 48 to which parallel and spaced-apart walls 50 and 52 are attachedby and through spacer plates 54 and 56, respectively. As with in-linepost 20, the spacer plates 54 and 56 are narrower than their counterpartplates 50 and 52, thereby defining alignment grooves 58 and 60. As shownin FIG. 3B, plate 50 is shown with a lower edge 62 positioned above theend of post 44, and plate 52 is shown with a lower edge 64, as will bedescribed herein.

[0029] With reference now to FIGS. 3C and 4C, the T-connection post 18is shown comprising a square post member 70 having walls 72 and 74 towhich spaced plates 76 and 78 are attached, by and through spacer plates80 and 82. As before, the spaced-apart plates 76 and 78 define alignmentgrooves 84, 86 and 88. As shown best in FIG. 3C, plates 76 and 78include lower edges 90 and 92, respectively, as will be describedfurther herein.

[0030] As mentioned above, the panels 22 are each in prefabricated form,such that a plurality of panels 22 could be shipped to the work site,and assembled at the work site. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the steel panels 22 are each approximately 2′ in width, andrise to a height equal to the desired height for the ceiling. In thepreferred embodiment, the panels 22 are steel sheets of approximately{fraction (3/16)}″ to ½″, but could comprise heavy-duty steel mesh forat least a portion of the panels in order that an observer can see intothe dormitory and the occupant can see out of the dormitory. Moreover,while the construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows two soliddormitories, it would also be understood that one or two of the panelsshould be replaced by a door panel member for ingress and egress ofdormitories 12 or 14. With the components as described above, theassembly of the cells will now be described in greater detail.

[0031] The assembly of the dormitories would begin by placement of oneor more of the angle members along the floor in a longitudinal manner ina position where the dormitory construction is desired. As shown inFIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, each of the posts has a notch created at the bottomof the post created by the lower edges 40, 62, 64, 90, and 92,respectively, such that this notch is placed with the spacer plates 36,54, or 90, 92 abutting the back side of the angle member 24, as bestshown in FIG. 1. Thus, the corner post 16 could be set with spacer plate54 abutting the panel, which will thereby align the post 16 with theedge of the angle piece 24. It should be appreciated that the back sideof the angle will also be co-planar with the inner surface of plate 32,and a steel plate 22 can be slidably received within alignment groove 60of the corner member 16. The next post is an in-line post 20 positionedwith one of the slots 38 joining the opposite side edge of the steelpanel, again with its spacer plate 36 in abutment against the insidesurface of the angle member 24.

[0032] Plate members 22 and in-line members 20 can continue until theinside corner of the wall is desired, that is, where placement of aT-connection post 18 is desired. When a T-connection is desired, thealignment groove 86 is positioned over the end edge of the last panel22, again with the lower edge of spacer plate 82 abutting the anglemember 24. At this point, another in-line panel could be positioned inslot 88 or the transverse or separation wall could be begun by placing awall panel within alignment groove 84. It should be appreciated that thewalls continue to be constructed as described above until thedormitories 12 and 14 are completed. It should also be appreciated thatthe panels and their connection posts are fixed in place with each otherby some means, such as welding along a portion or the entirety of theirinterconnection seams.

[0033] It should also be understood that there may be differingrequirements for ceiling structures. In some instances, it may bedesired to have prefabricated dormitories installed within a building orroom where a concrete ceiling is already in place. In this situation,several or all of the posts could take on the configuration of any ofthe posts shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A or 9B, where the post includes apost section 100 with an attachment flange assembly positioned along thetop of the post, shown as 102 in FIGS. 8A and 8B and shown as flange 112in FIGS. 9A and 9B. In this situation, the posts would replace any ofthe posts 16, 18 or 20, but include their interlocking structure, butwould extend upwardly to the ceiling and include fasteners extendingthrough apertures such as 104, 114 to attach the posts 100, 110 to theceiling.

[0034] In other instances, it may be desired to require a second storyof dormitories, and in this case, as shown in FIG. 10, each of thecorner posts, in-line posts and T-posts will be comprised of a morerigid and larger square post section, such as a 4″ tube member, as shownas items 160, 180, 200, respectively. In this case, the walls can beload-bearing walls, and include transverse I-beams 240 spanning acrossthe walls. Given the wider nature of the posts 160, 180 and 200, anI-beam such as 240 can simply be placed on top of the post and weldedsecurely in place. A concrete pan (not shown) can thereafter be placedover the top of the I-beams with a concrete floor being poured and setup within the pan, whereby the construction of the second story of wallswill be identical to that for the lower set of walls and as identical tothat described with reference to FIGS. 5-7.

[0035] In this manner a prefabricated wall construction is designed,whereby the walls or a plurality of dormitories can be constructed at awork site or within an existing building. The prefabricated walls, byand through the posts 16, 116; 18, 180; and 20,120 self-align the wallsin parallel/perpendicular fashion for ease and accuracy of construction.

I claim:
 1. A prefabricated wall structure defining a plurality ofrooms, each room having a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of sidewalls, where some of said walls may be shared between rooms, said wallstructure comprising: a plurality of elongate wall panels having top andbottom edges, and side edges; and a plurality of support posts havingalignment grooves for receiving said side edges of said panels to joinsaid panels.
 2. The prefabricated wall structure as set forth in claim1, wherein said post is defined as a post configured for a corner, withalignment grooves defined orthogonally of each other.
 3. Theprefabricated wall structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein said postis square in cross-section and includes alignment plates attached toadjacent sides of said post, in a spaced-apart manner so as to form saidgrooves.
 4. The prefabricated wall structure as set forth in claim 1,wherein said post is defined as a post configured for in-lineconnection, with alignment grooves defined in a co-planar relation witheach other.
 5. The prefabricated wall structure as set forth in claim 4,wherein said post is square in cross-section and includes an alignmentplate attached to a side wall of said post, in a spaced-apart manner soas to form said grooves.
 6. The prefabricated wall structure as setforth in claim 1, wherein said post is defined as a post configured fora T-connection, with alignment grooves for in-line connection, withalignment grooves defined in a co-planar relation with each other, andwith a groove defined orthogonally of said two in-line grooves.
 7. Theprefabricated wall structure as set forth in claim 6, wherein said postis square in cross-section and includes alignment plates attached toadjacent sides of said post, in a spaced-apart manner so as to form saidorthogonal grooves, and with one of said plates having grooves extendingfrom both sides thereof.